Is Routine Flu Vaccination Key to Pandemic Preparedness?
The staggering loss of life that COVID-19 has wrought, by some estimates more than 3.8 million people at the time of this writing, almost defies comprehension. To say that every human on the planet is being impacted by this illness may not be an overstatement. At the same time, an alarming shift in public focus […]
Vismodegib-RT Regimen Achieves High Rate of Disease Control in Head and Neck BCC
More than 90% of patients with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the head and neck achieved locoregional control (LRC) with vismodegib (Erivedge) and radiation therapy (RT), a small clinical trial showed. LRC at 1 year was 91% after vismodegib induction therapy followed by concurrent vismodegib and RT. The overall response rate was 63% […]
Another COVID Toll: Over 134,000 Undiagnosed Cancers During Height of Pandemic
More than 134,000 cancers might have gone undiagnosed during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study of national trends in cancer incidence. Annual cancer incidence fell almost 30% short of the expected rate from March through December 2020. The difference represented potentially 134,395 undiagnosed cancers during that period. Diagnosis of […]
Home Induction is Effective and Safe for Moms and Babies
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — More than two-thirds of nulliparous women achieved vaginal delivery after outpatient induction of labor (IOL), the HOME INDUCTION randomized noninferiority trial found. Out of nearly 300 Irish women who were induced at 39 weeks’ gestation by vaginal prostaglandin (Propess/Cervidil) or osmotic cervical dilator (Dilapan-S), 72% achieved vaginal delivery. There were no […]
New Standard for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma?
SAN FRANCISCO — After more than 20 years of trying, systemic therapy for unresectable liver cancer has improved outcomes with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), a randomized trial showed. Patients who received durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus bevacizumab (Avastin) in addition to TACE had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 15.0 months as compared with 8.2 months for TACE […]
Cryobiopsy and Forceps Biopsy Go Head-to-Head for Diagnosing Lung Lesions
As a supplement to standard needle aspiration for diagnosing lung lesions, cryobiopsy was no better than forceps biopsy for producing a definite diagnosis in a randomized trial, but the tissue-freezing procedure was less time-consuming and did produce biopsy samples more suitable to molecular testing. Tested alone, the diagnostic yield was higher with mediastinal cryobiopsy versus […]
Advanced Practice Providers Push to Unionize in Oregon
It’s not just physicians who are moving to unionize: More than 600 advanced practice providers (APPs) at the Oregon Health & Science University Hospital (OHSU) system have announced their intent to join a union. Members of the group include nurse practitioners (NPs), certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants (PAs), according to the Oregon Nurses Association […]
Very Young Children in HIV Treatment More Likely to Die
Children younger than age 5 years with HIV who received antiretroviral treatment (ART) died globally at percentages two to nine times higher than older children, a CDC study found. Among children receiving ART for HIV through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), 4.9% of those under age 1 and 2.5% of those […]
Most Unaware of Having Prediabetes; Mid-Stage Growth Hormone Win; Fake Wegovy Woes
More than one in three adults have prediabetes, representing around 98 million Americans, but 81% of them don’t know it, the CDC said as part of a national PSA to raise awareness. The federal government’s dietary guidelines may soon warn against ultra-processed foods. (Washington Post) Two phase II trials found the investigative oral drug LUM-201 […]
33 States Sue Instagram For Manipulating Children
LOADINGERROR LOADING More than 30 states are suing Instagram and its parent company, Meta, for misleading the public about the dangers of social media. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by 33 states, alleges that Meta’s social media platforms “exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children” and has caused damage to young people’s mental […]